BREMERTON — A crowd of people left a special screening of “Resistance Movement” with watery eyes Sept. 22 at the SEEfilm Bremerton Cinema.

The audience’s reaction to the film, which tells the story of the Helmuth Hubener group in World War II, was what writer/director Kathryn Moss was hoping for.

“It’s definitely a weeper,” she said. What the audience may not have known, however, is the film got its beginnings in a church in Poulsbo.

Moss, a 1995 North Kitsap High School graduate, originally wrote “Resistance Movement” as a play. Still being performed on stage, the play was recently adapted for film. It’s scheduled to be released on home video in spring.

The film follows the Hubener group, which was a group of young men who resisted the Nazi regime. The group’s story has been told before, usually through the eyes of the leader of the group, Helmuth Hubener. However, “Resistance Movement” follows Rudi Wobbe instead.

Wobbe’s story is that of a naive teenager who finds strength and courage through the struggles the group faces, Moss said. Wobbe is the one who grows the most, she said. The young man — trying not to give any spoilers here — faces hardships after World War II and his involvement in the Hubener group.

The film stars Joseph Paul Branca as Rudi Wobbe, Caleb Jenson as Helmuth Hubener and Dashiell Wolf as Karl-Heinz Schnibbe.

After graduating from North Kitsap, Moss went on to earn her associate’s degree from Ricks College and bachelor’s degree in theater from Utah State University. She earned her master’s in directing at the University of London.

Moss returned to Washington after earning her master’s. She wrote “Resistance Movement” while living on Bainbridge Island.

Originally learning of Hubener’s story from the documentary “Truth and Conviction,” Moss felt the need to write the story. It was during a difficult time in her life, she said, that she wrote the play version of “Resistance Movement.”

For Moss, it was a story that needed to be told, she said.

“It’s a story that needs to be told for our own strength and for how we can make a difference in the world,” she said.

The story is timely for this era, Moss said. As individuals, many people feel they can’t make a difference, she said. “We as people ... we tend to feel we can’t make a difference at all, so we don’t try,” she said. “We don’t call our congressmen, for example.

“I think this story is not just nice, but essential. We can remember that one person can make a difference.”

Though it was low-budget, producer Nathan Lee said it was a film he wanted to make sure was told.

Lee, a graduate of North Kitsap High School (1999) graduate and Olympic College, worked his way up in the film industry. “Resistance Movement” is his first experience producing, he said.

From a producing standpoint, he said the film was quite challenging.

“It was a fantastic experience,” he said, adding the cast and crew made it easy enough.

Following the special screening Sept. 22, Lee said the reaction was exactly what the film’s creators wanted. “Lots of sniffling and tears,” he said. “People left very quietly …”

What may be even more significant, were the online comments. People seemed to be a more introspective, Lee said.